Al wat men op deez' prent beziet, / Is apery en anders niet; / Vermaak 'er u dan mede, jeugd! / En knipt de aapjes uit, met vreugd 1791 - 1812

Editor: This is a fascinating print entitled "Al wat men op deez' prent beziet, / Is apery en anders niet; / Vermaak 'er u dan mede, jeugd! / En knipt de aapjes uit, met vreugd," created sometime between 1791 and 1812 by Jacobus Thompson. It's a series of small, circular scenes rendered through etching and engraving. The scenes are comical, almost like a visual joke-book. How does a work like this function in the context of its time? Curator: Well, considering its production date, the print participates in a broader phenomenon. We are on the cusp of mass production of images. Prints like these became affordable and distributed widely, acting as powerful tools for social commentary and the shaping of public opinion. Look at the figures depicted in these scenes; what kind of commentary are we seeing here? Editor: It seems like the common folk going about daily life – almost as if monkeys were enacting human scenarios. So is it satire? Was it meant to be didactic or just purely for entertainment? Curator: Perhaps all of those! Its title is crucial, promising amusement to youth if they cut out the monkeys with glee, but beyond a playful pastime, genre painting like this during the period of Enlightenment was often employed to emphasize the absurdity of societal norms through caricature. Think of its intended audience: broadsides like this, accessible and comical, democratized art and knowledge, but also shaped perception and even reinforced or challenged social order in the process. Do you think children cutting them might learn about societal expectations too? Editor: That’s a good point. The act of cutting them out implies a level of engagement, not just passive viewing, so this print engages social critique in an interactive way! I never considered art consumption as so hands-on! Curator: Exactly. Understanding that art isn’t just about aesthetic appreciation but also social engagement offers us so much.